I'm looking for a new phone....

First time poster, long time reader here.....I've been looking for a new phone for a while now and my carrier is Verizon. I've been upgrade eligible for about a year now, and my Droid Eris is finally starting to give me problems, I think it's time to retire it and move on. I have about $100 Amazon credit to use, and I'd like to spend it towards my new phone. I think Verizon has scrapped it's "New Every Two" $50 credit, so I think I will go through Amazon rather than Verizon for the new phone.

I've seen the new IPhone 5, and it seems great, but Amazon doesn't carry IPhones.....It also seems that Apple hasn't been innovative or groundbreaking, as it just is now getting 4G LTE and lacks a NFC chip or some of the other cool things phones like the Galaxy S3 have. Perhaps this is related to the passing of Steve Jobs?? Or, are other phone competitors finally catching up and surpassing Apple?? Either way, due to Amazon not supplying the new IPhone, I won't be getting it.

I'm kinda over Droid phones after having my Eris, but the new Droid Razr Maxx HD has mostly everything I'm looking for in a phone. It has 4G, SUPER long battery life, and is blazing fast. Gorilla Glass & Kevlar-coated back is a nice touch, too. It even has NFC, like the Galaxy S3! But, the camera seems very subpar, and I'm really looking for a phone that will fulfill my everyday camera needs. It's shocking how grainy the pictures look from a Maxx HD even with 8 MPs!! Looks almost as bad as my Droid Eris (HTC Desire) with 5 MPs!! I'm really not open to buying a phone AND a camera when many phones have excellent cameras (see: Apple Iphones) already and I don't need a DSLR. I'm also not sure if I should hold off on getting a phone, because it seems that quad-core phones are starting to be released, and I don't know if I want to buy a phone that is already obsolete....

Which brings me to the future-proof Nexus phones.....just not sure I want the Nexus 4 which lacks 4G LTE. There was another thread below that mentioned possible Nexus phones to be released. Any chance that the others mentioned, besides the LG Optimus Nexus (Nexus 4) will actually be released?? What about the Samsung Galaxy Nexus 2?? I don't think I could resist a Sony Xperia Nexus!! So, should I buy now or wait until the new year for a new quad-core phone with a terrific camera?? The camera should at least be as good as the IPhone 5's or Xperia's....please let me know if there's any news about such a phone, or if you can aid me in my decision. Thanks!!

Nexus phones are a little bit future resistant with updates, but aren't future proof. I did a quick survey of past models somewhere. Support does end eventually. It's almost more about certainty -- you know you'll get a good support period, and fast release of updates, whereas elsewhere there's a lot more dice rolling and delays. As to other releases, there was an expectation starting in the summer that Google would feature 5 nexus devices on Nov 5th (IIRC). The Nexus 4, Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 are current models, and maybe the old galaxy is still up, but I don't think there's really any info at all on when a possible Nexus 5 tabletphone, xperia nexus, or Gnex2 might hit. My own dreams of a nexus mini pro are pure science fiction.

I'm all for people waiting for a good fit, but man, your droid eris is almost as old my Touch Pro2. That's ooooold. Might not be a bad time to just grab something nice if it isn't lacking in some enormous way. And waiting for something that doesn't have specs or even a time frame when you'll get specs is the sort of wait that can go on forever. If you are gonna wait, I'd hone in on one device and see just how substantive the rumors for it have been, and whether that's enough for you to wait for.

First time poster, long time reader here.....I've been looking for a new phone for a while now and my carrier is Verizon. I've been upgrade eligible for about a year now, and my Droid Eris is finally starting to give me problems, I think it's time to retire it and move on. I have about $100 Amazon credit to use, and I'd like to spend it towards my new phone. I think Verizon has scrapped it's "New Every Two" $50 credit, so I think I will go through Amazon rather than Verizon for the new phone.

I've seen the new IPhone 5, and it seems great, but Amazon doesn't carry IPhones.....It also seems that Apple hasn't been innovative or groundbreaking, as it just is now getting 4G LTE and lacks a NFC chip or some of the other cool things phones like the Galaxy S3 have. Perhaps this is related to the passing of Steve Jobs?? Or, are other phone competitors finally catching up and surpassing Apple?? Either way, due to Amazon not supplying the new IPhone, I won't be getting it.

I'm kinda over Droid phones after having my Eris, but the new Droid Razr Maxx HD has mostly everything I'm looking for in a phone. It has 4G, SUPER long battery life, and is blazing fast. Gorilla Glass & Kevlar-coated back is a nice touch, too. It even has NFC, like the Galaxy S3! But, the camera seems very subpar, and I'm really looking for a phone that will fulfill my everyday camera needs. It's shocking how grainy the pictures look from a Maxx HD even with 8 MPs!! Looks almost as bad as my Droid Eris (HTC Desire) with 5 MPs!! I'm really not open to buying a phone AND a camera when many phones have excellent cameras (see: Apple Iphones) already and I don't need a DSLR. I'm also not sure if I should hold off on getting a phone, because it seems that quad-core phones are starting to be released, and I don't know if I want to buy a phone that is already obsolete....

Which brings me to the future-proof Nexus phones.....just not sure I want the Nexus 4 which lacks 4G LTE. There was another thread below that mentioned possible Nexus phones to be released. Any chance that the others mentioned, besides the LG Optimus Nexus (Nexus 4) will actually be released?? What about the Samsung Galaxy Nexus 2?? I don't think I could resist a Sony Xperia Nexus!! So, should I buy now or wait until the new year for a new quad-core phone with a terrific camera?? The camera should at least be as good as the IPhone 5's or Xperia's....please let me know if there's any news about such a phone, or if you can aid me in my decision. Thanks!!

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I have the iPhone 5. My work phone is a Motorola Droid Razr with LTE. So both of my phones have LTE. It's kinda funny. My iPhone 5 and Droid Razr arrived on the same day. On the 5, I logged in to iCloud and all my settings and apps came over from my iPhone 4. On the Droid, the only profile I had around was my google contacts and the darn things populated my work phone with personal email addresses just because I logged in to the gmail app on the phone. I wound up downloading a contact manager app to delete them all. Nothing is more frustrating than having my aunt's email address come up when I'm trying to respond quickly to an email at work. If I'm not careful and hit send, it's too late: data spill.

On my iPhone 5, it feels like I can do very little to customize things. Also there's an Android app called wifi analyzer that I absolutely require. I can't get it on iPhone without jailbreaking and I'm really not ready to do that (yet). On the Android phone, I get very frustrated with the way the recent calls list is handled. On iOS, if I click a recent call, it dials. On Android, it takes me to a useless screen and I'm sometimes as many as 2 more useless screens away from actually getting the call going.

I use Apple computers at home so I like having my photos, documents, contacts and calendar sync without any thought. I also like OTA backup and restore via iCloud. I also had a Samsung GP5 but gingerbread is ancient by today's standards so I basically hated it. I don't like having two sets of home screens on Android. One for widgets and one for apps. One set is enough already. If I were going to buy my own Android phone, I'd have to consider a Samsung device. They are the defacto flagship right now in terms of features though I must agree with Mi An that the Nexus models will probably benefit from more frequent updates. And herein lies another thing I like about iOS. Within hours of the new release of any iOS version, all my iThings with the exception of my not so ancient iPad 1 are all running the new OS.

Then I come to your point about innovation. I feel it too. Apple seems to have slowed down a bit. Perhaps it's competitive pressure from Android and others but iOS doesn't seem to take the lead in every single category like it once did. That doesn't mean iOS isn't better, just not the best in every single category. One area is photography. I wish iOS had that rapid 12 shot thing where I could go back and pick the one(s) I like.

Then there's slow to middling hardware releasing. It took way too long for Apple to come out with 4G. Granted it turns out maybe they didn't wait too long for LTE since Verizon is the only carrier with serious buildout and the other 3 are all playing catch-up, still Apple slapped a 4G screen icon on iPhone 4S rather than bring us new radios until iPhone 5 and that cost them dearly. Now that the data speed playing field is finally level, if Foxconn can build the darn things I expect iPhone 5 to kick some serious butt in terms of market share. I find myself feeling a bit about Apple like I did about Palm back in the heady Tungsten|T days. I'm particularly annoyed about the lightning connector. It seems like an overreach on Apple's part. They have over a billion users of the 30 pin connector so they introduce a new one just because. So you can plug it in backwards. It's nice. In fact it's WAY NICER than that micro USB thing I never manage to plug in the right way on the first try. But having to have multiple adapters lying around just grinds my nerves and the jury is out on whether the lightning adapter causes people to hesitate in buying iThings.

With the exception of the lightning plug and iPad 1 failing to get iOS6, I rate iThings as far more future proof than any Android gear. If future proof is important to you and you don't mind the "walled garden" and "curated" computing, consider an iPhone 5. This is especially true if you own a Mac. Managing data between my three Apple devices is the definition of seamless.

Looks like my prayers have been answered.....Verizon accidentally leaked the Droid DNA announcement today, which is supposed to be unveiled tomorrow Tuesday 11/12!! If these specs turn out to be true, and the camera is terrific (or at least an improvement over the Motorola RAZR Maxx HD) & there is NFC, then I might be in business. I hope the battery life is solid, but I expect the quad-core would drain the battery pretty quick, right??

The Droid DNA is actually a HTC DLX, and after having the Droid Eris (HTC Desire), I'm not sure I want another HTC phone. The battery life was horrible , lots of bugs and problems (freezing), and the camera was terrible. How does the the quality of phones go in order?? Is it: Apple>Samsung>HTC>Motorola>LG?? Where does HTC fit in?? I hope the Droid DNA works out, but if not, I guess I might have to check out the RAZR Maxx HD (hard to beat that battery life!)

EDIT: Looks like the the Droid DNA has a 8 MP camera, not a 12 MP camera that was rumored by Ed Hardy, and it ONLY has a 2,020 mAh battery to power everything the phone has, but no microSD slot & only 16GB storage capacity. I probably can't get the phone unless it comes out in a Maxx or Maxx HD version....not with the poor battery life it will likely have. It needs at least 2,500 mAh or 3,000+ to give it even a decent battery life. Damn, HTC is screwing with me again!! I wish Amazon carried the IPhone!!

First time poster, long time reader here.....I've been looking for a new phone for a while now and my carrier is Verizon. I've been upgrade eligible for about a year now, and my Droid Eris is finally starting to give me problems, I think it's time to retire it and move on. I have about $100 Amazon credit to use, and I'd like to spend it towards my new phone. I think Verizon has scrapped it's "New Every Two" $50 credit, so I think I will go through Amazon rather than Verizon for the new phone.

I've seen the new IPhone 5, and it seems great, but Amazon doesn't carry IPhones.....It also seems that Apple hasn't been innovative or groundbreaking, as it just is now getting 4G LTE and lacks a NFC chip or some of the other cool things phones like the Galaxy S3 have. Perhaps this is related to the passing of Steve Jobs?? Or, are other phone competitors finally catching up and surpassing Apple?? Either way, due to Amazon not supplying the new IPhone, I won't be getting it.

I'm kinda over Droid phones after having my Eris, but the new Droid Razr Maxx HD has mostly everything I'm looking for in a phone. It has 4G, SUPER long battery life, and is blazing fast. Gorilla Glass &amp; Kevlar-coated back is a nice touch, too. It even has NFC, like the Galaxy S3! But, the camera seems very subpar, and I'm really looking for a phone that will fulfill my everyday camera needs. It's shocking how grainy the pictures look from a Maxx HD even with 8 MPs!! Looks almost as bad as my Droid Eris (HTC Desire) with 5 MPs!! I'm really not open to buying a phone AND a camera when many phones have excellent cameras (see: Apple Iphones) already and I don't need a DSLR. I'm also not sure if I should hold off on getting a phone, because it seems that quad-core phones are starting to be released, and I don't know if I want to buy a phone that is already obsolete....

Which brings me to the future-proof Nexus phones.....just not sure I want the Nexus 4 which lacks 4G LTE. There was another thread below that mentioned possible Nexus phones to be released. Any chance that the others mentioned, besides the LG Optimus Nexus (Nexus 4) will actually be released?? What about the Samsung Galaxy Nexus 2?? I don't think I could resist a Sony Xperia Nexus!! So, should I buy now or wait until the new year for a new quad-core phone with a terrific camera?? The camera should at least be as good as the IPhone 5's or Xperia's....please let me know if there's any news about such a phone, or if you can aid me in my decision. Thanks!!

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With regards to iOS devices, what is the point of future proofing when the future is just improvements for an aging OS?

As for the Nexus 4, the phone has an LTE chip but lacks an baseband amp to enable LTE. Meaning LTE is built in, but to get LTE, Google and LG has to get a deal with a carrier which will get supplied with LTE enabled phones specific for that carrier. However this cannot be back fitted on existing phones, nor will one LTE phone work with another network. In other words, like CDMA, LTE is not an interoperable standard like GSM or wifi. The LTE phone is also locked to the carrier, which means they own it not Google, and they are responsible for the pricing and approving the updates.

As far as Droid goes, the RAZRs are Motorola and the Eris is HTC.

If you are in Verizon, I would aim for the upcoming HTC Droid DNA for Verizon. Why? Its the world's first 1080p phone. While the Nexus 4 has the same powerful quad core Snapdragon S4 as the DNA, its still a 720p phone. Midway in 2013, 1080p will be the new top end standard and the 720p screen of the Nexus 4 will look so 2012.

As for future updates, record shows that top end HTCs eventually get them mainly because more capable hardware are much more able to support the increased demands of future OS. There is a massive chasm between the Android 2.1 in the Eris vs the Android Jellybean in the DNA. Kind of like Windows 95 vs Windows 7. As for me, I'm a former Eris owner as well. Let me finally add that the reports of the DNA's camera is amazing as well. And it has LTE too. The drawback is that it does not have the Max HD's huge battery or Kevlar construction but the DNA is definitely is going to be much more future proofed than the Maxx HD.

Rumors of the Xperia Nexus, Galaxy Nexus 2 did not work out --- they eventually become other phones like the Xperia AX and the Galaxy Premier. The other Nexus rumor was the alleged Nexus 5 by HTC. That phone did not turn put to be a Nexus but the Droid DNA.

If you are in Verizon, I would aim for the upcoming HTC Droid DNA for Verizon. Why? Its the world's first 1080p phone. While the Nexus 4 has the same powerful quad core Snapdragon S4 as the DNA, its still a 720p phone. Midway in 2013, 1080p will be the new top end standard and the 720p screen of the Nexus 4 will look so 2012.

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For high end spec sheets, maybe. I'm still not convinced that the average user will really notice any difference.

For high end spec sheets, maybe. I'm still not convinced that the average user will really notice any difference.

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Agreed. It's not exactly easy to make out individual pixels on a 720p phone. And for most people, if they can't see individual pixels on a 720p phone, 1080p won't look notably sharper to them.

To me, this is like the debate between 1080p 13" laptops and Apple's retina MacBook Pro 13, or the advent of seven-speed and eight-speed automatics in cars. While more used to be better, I think we're hitting the threshold where more is just for the sake of having more, and it's not a noticeable benefit anymore.

With regards to iOS devices, what is the point of future proofing when the future is just improvements for an aging OS?

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Apart from restrictions that are a purposely fundamental part of iOS, it seems to manage to stay quite modern functionality wise within those restrictions, it still does a lot of things better than android does imo, I'd really like to know what you mean by aging?...genuine question.

I agree with Adama, the only place it will matter is in the marketing literature...and a few geeks minds, others will buy into it because the phone they like comes with that resolution, not because it offers any tangible benefit.

OP, Future proof is a fantasy, buy technology for what it does for you today, not what it 'might' do in the future after software updates....if the hardware supports it...imo

Apart from restrictions that are a purposely fundamental part of iOS, it seems to manage to stay quite modern functionality wise within those restrictions, it still does a lot of things better than android does imo, I'd really like to know what you mean by aging?...genuine question.

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I am not really sure what "lots of things better" than Android it does, considering a lot of it is the other way around even among earlier versions of Android.

I agree with Adama, the only place it will matter is in the marketing literature...and a few geeks minds, others will buy into it because the phone they like comes with that resolution, not because it offers any tangible benefit.

OP, Future proof is a fantasy, buy technology for what it does for you today, not what it 'might' do in the future after software updates....if the hardware supports it...imo

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Geez. Every phone out there will do any job competently. Based on the user's previous phone, I suspect he plans to keep his device for the next two years, so the point of contention is which phone isn't going to look so bad after two years.

Agreed. It's not exactly easy to make out individual pixels on a 720p phone. And for most people, if they can't see individual pixels on a 720p phone, 1080p won't look notably sharper to them.

To me, this is like the debate between 1080p 13" laptops and Apple's retina MacBook Pro 13, or the advent of seven-speed and eight-speed automatics in cars. While more used to be better, I think we're hitting the threshold where more is just for the sake of having more, and it's not a noticeable benefit anymore.

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According to the reviews I am seeing, while the difference is not seen with many apps, it does show with many webpages as fonts deteriorate less when viewed in a full desktop mode, so that you don't have to zoom in to read the letters. Heck I can already see this in my laptops with a higher viewing resolution over those with a lower resolution. Besides, reviews are also mentioning the screens have a better color balance than many current screens in existence.

Resolution visible or not, reviewers are saying tangibly when everything is added up including all the technology advances incorporated in the screen that are not being advertised, that in the real world, in the viewing experience, the screen on the DNA appears to be the best screen in the market today. At least, until other devices with similar screens start appearing.

I am not really sure what "lots of things better" than Android it does, considering a lot of it is the other way around even among earlier versions of Android.

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Well for me two standouts of iOS compared to android are PIM integration,syncing and choice, and their keyboard software/quality, r0k pointed out some for him although I don't understand the widgets/homescreens thing, I know other users have other reasons whether I think they're advantages or not, I was more interested in your aging comment and what you were meaning.

Geez. Every phone out there will do any job competently. Based on the user's previous phone, I suspect he plans to keep his device for the next two years, so the point of contention is which phone isn't going to look so bad after two years.

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I was actually addressing the OP in the last part of my post, but, no two year old hardware will be a good experience going by the last two years of android history, even 18 months, the OP is going to want some new hardware for exactly the same reasons he's looking now...even if whatever he buys now gets 20 OS upgrades, which is why I say future proof is a fantasy.

Not sure about PIM, mainly because my contacts life is centered on GMail and Google Calendar, and I can view that in any PC and sync that to any device, even Windows Phone. Google got the idea of Cloud right and that it has to be platform independent. As for keyboard quality, I never found it any better than the raw or Nexus keyboards where the word prediction is just phenomenal. iOS keyboards annoy me when they don't present word alternatives like Android does. And it really annoys me when it comes to entering passwords, iOS refuses to show you your password in case if you ever type it wrong. Plus the new gesture swipe on Android 4.2 is just incredibly robust, it will accurate guess just about every word I would try to swipe except the most egaroius ones.

As for the standard of evolving hardware, we are already reaching a point when the hardware has started to plateau. This happened to notebooks around 2008. You take any reasonably well powered notebook five years ago at the standards of that time, it will still handle all current application and web work pretty well, providing you have sufficient RAM. I am still using an HP notebook I bought in 2008 and it can probably run till the day it dies, providing I don't fill up the hard disk (migrating files to an external one). The Core2Duo T2400 it has is still faster than low end Atoms, Celerons and even some AMDs.

The point is that I am presenting this choice as a point higher in that plateau, with its 1080p and quad Krait cores than lets say, a 720p screen phone with dual Krait cores or quad A9 cores. After all you are going to spend money and that advancement doesn't cost anything. The DNA is going to be $199 on contract. If that advancement comes with a high monetary cost, then question it. But when presented in a very reasonable cost context, why not?

Not sure about PIM, mainly because my contacts life is centered on GMail and Google Calendar, and I can view that in any PC and sync that to any device, even Windows Phone. Google got the idea of Cloud right and that it has to be platform independent. As for keyboard quality, I never found it any better than the raw or Nexus keyboards where the word prediction is just phenomenal. iOS keyboards annoy me when they don't present word alternatives like Android does. And it really annoys me when it comes to entering passwords, iOS refuses to show you your password in case if you ever type it wrong. Plus the new gesture swipe on Android 4.2 is just incredibly robust, it will accurate guess just about every word I would try to swipe except the most egaroius ones.

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And we both know people can go around and around discussing this topic, iOS has enough annoyances for me that I choose to use something else as well, but I'm objective enough to admit what annoys me doesn't necessarily do the same for others.I'm pretty positive the fact one model of device sells so well isn't just a brand thing alone...iLove or whatever.Android is in no way my perfect OS though, and have no trouble recognizing others have certain facets that are actually better for me.

As for the standard of evolving hardware, we are already reaching a point when the hardware has started to plateau. This happened to notebooks around 2008. You take any reasonably well powered notebook five years ago at the standards of that time, it will still handle all current application and web work pretty well, providing you have sufficient RAM. I am still using an HP notebook I bought in 2008 and it can probably run till the day it dies, providing I don't fill up the hard disk (migrating files to an external one). The Core2Duo T2400 it has is still faster than low end Atoms, Celerons and even some AMDs.

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I tend to mostly agree with you here except for the fact that since 2008 the biggest step up in general speed in the last 10 years has occurred with PC's through solid state drives, they're also a lot more affordable.
This is the first year in ten years I haven't bought the a new notebook for the reason that you say, I guess we agree on what you're saying, just not the timeline.
It's not just evolving hardware that's the 'stick in the spokes' over two years with a smartphone though, for all their nice cases, screens etc, look under the hood and they're definitely built for relatively short life compared to what thing's like old XDA II were built for, cheapo switches incorporated into ribbon cables that are glued in, batteries that are glued in, no way of expanding memory on [a lot of now] some models to cater for the likelihood that android will be twice the size in two years, and as the OP said, what he has is starting to give problems, this seems a common time frame for current hardware lifetime when starting to consistently give problems.
I haven't found a reason to stop buying new hardware yet, and very much doubt you have as well, 1080 resolution isn't going to be one of my reasons although I will undoubtably end up with it as a matter of course because of the types of devices I buy....just like I've ended up with 720 now

The point is that I am presenting this choice as a point higher in that plateau, with its 1080p and quad Krait cores than lets say, a 720p screen phone with dual Krait cores or quad A9 cores. After all you are going to spend money and that advancement doesn't cost anything. The DNA is going to be $199 on contract. If that advancement comes with a high monetary cost, then question it. But when presented in a very reasonable cost context, why not?

Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Tapatalk 2

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Nothing wrong with what you suggested, and I didn't disagree, as I keep saying, I was addressing the original poster when talking about this ideal of 'future proof' and you keep taking my comment in the context that I was disagreeing with your recommendations, which I wasn't, but now we're actually there I would be more tempted to buy something that wasn't likely to suck the life out of a smallish battery, especially when it's sealed in and the OP is talking about future proof.....the decisive facts about the DNA battery life pending of course.
You still haven't said what you meant by iOS aging btw

He is obviously not an average user, the moment he mentions he wants to future proof his phone.

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Then I'll rephrase: I'm not convinced that even a power user will notice a real difference.

Yes, I'm sure there are reviewers talking up improvements seen in 1080P screens. However, it's very rare in the technology press for someone to come out and say "Don't bother with this technological upgrade, it's not worth it." Or that a certain high spec is overkill. A new processor out today is probably faster than one from last year, but the number of scenarios in which that extra speed is needed or even noticed are few--and even that's more useful than higher and higher resolution.

The reality is that with every step up in screen resolution, the improvement becomes less and less noticeable, as you're packing more pixels into a smaller area. Going from 320 x 480 to 800 x 480 is a much bigger jump than 800 x 480 to 960 x 540. And again less impact from 960 x 540 to 1280 x 720. I don't often say this, but I think Apple has the right idea when it comes to resolution: that the goalposts should be set using DPI, rather than the highest possible raw numbers.

Thanks everyone for the replies....just wanted to add a few things. First, I have seen the Droid DNA & eagerly anticipated its debut, however, with only a 2,020 mAh battery. I'm not certain I will be satisfied with its battery life, especially when I keep comparing it to the Maxx HD's in my head. CNET says the DNA tested well at 8 hrs, 45 mins, however, I don't trust reviews often because with regular use, most phones don't last nearly as long as reviews suggest. I do like the DNA's 1080p display & camera, which are definitely solid, but with an uncertain battery life & only 16 GB storage, I'm not sure if this phone is right for me.

With regards to my future-proof comment, I do understand that there's some fantasy to the concept. But, what I'm really hoping for is a phone that will still be solid two years from now. Perhaps only an Iphone 5 would stand the test of time - with 4G LTE *finally*, it's now on par with most new smartphones. But, it lacks NFC, and who knows how important that will be down the road with phone bill pay at checkouts & sharing files or music with just the touch of two phones together?? I guess Apple is no longer revolutionary, but evolutionary - just like every other cell phone maker out there. Jobs' passing really did shift some priorities around. FWIW, the Nexus 4 without 4G LTE isn't future proof either.

So, the Maxx HD has a great battery life at 14 hours, & has everything I want, except for a good camera & it isn't really future proof with a dual-core, instead of quad-core. Not sure how important having a 1080p display is to me, so perhaps the 720p display on the Maxx HD would suffice. But, having an excellent camera IS important to me. All my friends have great cameras on their IPhones, while I need a point-and-shoot to go with my Maxx HD?? Ridiculous!! I'm uncertain how committed Verizon is to the "Maxx" editions of future Droids, but perhaps there will be a future DNA Maxx that will be the perfect phone for me.

The point remains, the 1080P phone doesn't cost anymore than the 720P phone.

Second, while the pixels are not visible under normal circumstances, there is still the accumulative effect of all these pixels from a distance. For example, I got two 1366x768 laptops here. One has a 15" and the other an 11". From a distance, the pixels are not visible. But you can see from the distance, the laptop with the smaller display is just visibly more brilliant. More brilliant colors and contrast. It just pops out. FYI, the 11" notebook is just a cheap netbook, the display isn't by nature, more expensive than the ones in my 15" laptops. When you got that much pixels packed together, there are less dark spaces in the microscopic level between the pixels, and that has an accumulative effect in brightness and color saturation. The same effect also happens with any screen from tablet to phone.

Finally, the DNA is just going to be very fast. That simply amounts to contributing a better user experience. The new GPU on that thing is going to just eat games alive.

Operating systems don't take up that much resources, but apps do. Apps over in time, just grows fatter and fatter and fatter. My brother just bought a new iPad 4. He had a first gen iPad. When he first bought his first iPad, everything felt very fast for him. But once the apps accumulated, as each update makes apps bigger, as new apps were introduced each more complex and taking up resources, the whole thing just begins to bog down. Everyone is familiar with this phenomenon as it happens anywhere from Windows to Android. Android has grown many complex apps and games over time, and if you're planning to tap that richness in multimedia and entertainment, you're going to need that power sooner or later.

As for iOS aging, it has simply became boring. I have been using iOS since 2007. When I first came to this forum, I was already using it when everyone is still oh lala with their Palms and Windows Mobiles. Everyone seemed so dismissive of it. I was also using Android when no one else did. It was the second model of Android phone ever, the HTC Magic. Now lets fast forward to today. The iOS in iPhone 5 literally looks the same as it did on my first iOS device in 2007. On the other hand, Android 1.6 on the Magic vs. Android 4.2 on the Nexus 7 is completely unrecognizable.

iOS' own evolution comes at a cost by trying to implement some Androidish elements, like the notification bar and the multitasking channel on the bottom. Both of these felt like they were hacked into the UI, and requires a bit too much gestures for things like killling apps (in Android all it needs is a swipe, not a long press to vibrate and press X on the corner icon). iCloud is a mutant, you can only cloud your iTunes purchases but not tracks from other sources. Why does it take so long for iOS to recognize you don't need to enter your password again and again for OS updates? Why can't you update apps automatically without intervention? Why can't you be allowed to see your own password as you type, to avoid errors? Why can't unlocking use up any part of the screen and the gesture be unidirectional? And why the heck iOS still doesn't have a one button means to return to the previously opened app if you jump from one app to another, like opening the browser from within an app. iOS apps often comes with a browser-let so when the app opens the browser to view a webpage, you're not leaving the parent app at all, and one visual button means you can return to it. But these browserlets don't have the full power, features, even speed of the main browser and the browserlet implemention differs from app to app, creating a not so consistent experience. In Android, an app can open Chrome, or Dolphin or Opera, whoever you choose to be your default browser, and the return button always brings you back to the parent app. There is no need for browsers within apps. And one thing too, because every app in iOS needs a return button on the screen, it just takes up space in the screen, whereas in Android, it is not in the main screen. Then there is the sharing from apps, it lacks a universal system wide sharing, which means who and what the app wants to share totally depends on the developer. This means some apps can share to that service, but others won't. In Android, sharing is consistent because it is universal system wide. Every app shares to the same things on your device with only what you install as the limit.

Thanks everyone for the replies....just wanted to add a few things! First, I have seen the Droid DNA & eagerly anticipated its debut, however, with only a 2,020 mAh battery, I'm not certain I will be satisfied with its battery life. CNET says it tested pretty well at 8 hrs, 45 mins, however, I always feel that with regular use, most devices fail to last as long as reviews suggest they will. I do like the Droid DNA's camera & 1080p display, both are definitely solid, but with an uncertain battery life & only 16 GB storage, I'm not sure this is the phone for me.

With regards to future proofing, I do understand that there is some fantasy to the concept. But, what I'm really hoping for is a phone that will still be solid to me two years from now. Perhaps only an IPhone 5 would stand the test of time, now with 4G LTE, it's finally on par with most new smartphones. But, it lacks NFC, & who knows how important that may be with phone bill pay at checkouts & sharing music or files with the simple touch of two phones together?? I guess Apple is no longer revolutionary, but evolutionary....just like every other cell phone maker out there. Jobs' passing really did shift some priorities around, but FWIW, the Nexus 4 without 4G LTE isn't future proof either.

So, the Maxx HD has a great battery life at 14 hours & has everything I want, except for a good camera & it isn't quad-core. Not sure how important having a 1080p display is to me, so perhaps a 720p display like on the Maxx HD would suffice. But, having an excellent camera is important to me. It's ridiculous that all my friends with IPhones have solid camera phones, but I need a point & shoot to go with a Maxx HD?!? I'm uncertain how committed Verizon is to the "Maxx" editions of their future Droids, but perhaps there will be a Droid DNA Maxx that fits my needs.

There are rumors of a Galaxy S4 coming out in early 2013 & possibly a 6th gen IPhone coming in mid-2013 per Ed Hardy this morning. Maybe these would be worth the wait?? But, again, please let me know if you learn of a phone that meets my preferences.....thanks!!

Well if you want massive power, humongous battery, superb camera, NFC, lots of storage, LTE, with bonus on removable battery and micro SD slot, there is one other thing that fits that bill --- the Galaxy Note 2.

Well if you want massive power, humongous battery, superb camera, NFC, lots of storage, LTE, with bonus on removable battery and micro SD slot, there is one other thing that fits that bill --- the Galaxy Note 2.

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Saw that.....but the Galaxy Note 2 is kinda big for my pocket, I think they call it a "phablet," but I really am considering just holding out for another Maxx phone, the next Galaxy S series phone, or a 6th gen IPhone.